


Purrfect

by laurpas, StormDragon, TearsOfWinter



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 21:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10750446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurpas/pseuds/laurpas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormDragon/pseuds/StormDragon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearsOfWinter/pseuds/TearsOfWinter
Summary: In order to get along with Fenris, Anders comes up with a cockamamie idea. Maybe if he starts viewing Fenris like the cats he loves so much, he'll think of Fenris' attitude as adorable rather than annoying.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 by TearsOfWinter  
> Chapter 2 by laurpas  
> Chapter 3 by StormDragon

The trouble began with Isabela’s seemingly innocuous comment. Anders should’ve known better than to follow her advice. Nothing Isabela said or did was without a price attached to it, the scheming witch.

“You should think of Fenris as like a cat,” she said one day when she came down to the clinic for a salve. “You like cats don’t you? So maybe if you imagine Fenris as a cat, you two might actually stop arguing and start getting along. Elves purr, you know, if you know just how to please them.”

He scoffed at her insane idea. What part of Fenris was like cat? He was more like a mangy mutt that needed to be put down than an adorable kitty. But what she said wouldn’t leave his mind.

The next he saw Fenris, they bickered as they’d always done. The words “slavery”, “oppression”, and “mage rights” were a typical part of the argument, but before Anders could truly get into it- why couldn’t the elf understand that the mages here weren’t anything like the magisters in Tevinter?- when he saw Fenris’ ear twitch in irritation. Somehow, no matter how calm and collected Fenris liked to present himself, Anders was always able to find a way to provoke him. Fenris’ lips were pulled back, baring his canines.

Instead of seeing an incredibly pissed off, dangerous elf, Anders saw a grumpy cat. He couldn’t help it, he cooed at him. Frankly, he was surprised Fenris didn’t jab a hand through his chest right then and there. It seemed Fenris was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor towards him as much as Anders was. He was too shock to react.

“Do not mock me, mage!” Fenris spat, once he regained his composure. However, it was too late. The damage was done. Anders saw with his own two eyes what a little affection could do to him.

Scare him away, much like real cats.

Thanks to Isabela, Anders found a new way to deal with Fenris. Whenever the elf started to piss him off, he focused in on the felines qualities of Fenris: his large, reflective green eyes, the way he fidgeted when bored, how he liked to bask in the sun because Kirkwall was too cold for his northern taste. When he thought of him like that, it was hard to stay mad at him, for who could stay angry at an adorable kitty?

The days grew into weeks, then months. While Fenris yelled, Anders simpered. When Fenris was quiet, Anders teased. He even once tossed him an apple when he started grumbling about blood mages. After all, bored cats were annoyed cats. Best to keep them entertained.

“Why are you doing this?” Fenris asked as he nervously clutched at the bright red apple to his chest. “I fail to understand this…change in behavior.”

The sun gleamed against Fenris’ hair, and Anders, despite himself, reached forward to comb his fingers through the silver strands. “Because you have a beautiful coat.”

“What?”

“I mean, I think you’re beautiful.” Anders offered Fenris a smile, happy that Fenris didn’t flinch away from his touch. In fact, it felt as if the elf was leaning into his hand. Patience was a way to win a cat’s affection. If only he knew about this when he first met Fenris, then they wouldn’t have been at each other’s throats for all these years. Perhaps the two of them could finally live in peace.

…But then one morning, Anders woke up and found Fenris at his door, a dead deer slung over his shoulder.

“Maker! What did you bring that here for? It’s bleeding all over the floor!”

Fenris ignored Anders complaint, and laid his fresh kill in front of Anders feet like an offering. “I’ve asked the others, and while I appreciate some of their advice, I found myself surprisingly drawn to what the witch said. A…potential partner has to prove himself a capable provider. I’d like you to give you this deer for nourishment. You need to eat more, mage. I can give you that.”

It took a moment for Anders to dissect what Fenris said. Fenris was no Ser-Pounce-A-Lot, but between a deer and a rat, there was no real difference. Both wanted to bring him a fresh kill because they thought him an abysmal hunter. It was such an endearing gesture, Anders almost grabbed Fenris to cuddle…but then the rest of what he said finally caught up. “Wait. Wait a second. What are you saying? Are you…are you courting me?”

The elf cocked his head, and Anders couldn’t help once again likening Fenris to Pounce. “You have been courting me for months now, have you not? The flirting, the gifts, it hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’m unsure where this may lead, but I’m willing to give this a try if you are.”


	2. Chapter 2

Anders stared at him and he must have looked gobsmacked because suddenly Fenris was averting his eyes and shifting from one foot to the other, the way he always did when he became impatient or anxious. The fact that it reminded Anders so much of a cat twitching the tip of its tail only made it worse.

  
“You… Were courting me, were you not?” Finally Fenris looked back at Anders, his eyes wide. Anders could see the anxiety in them, and realized he could not tell Fenris the truth.

  
How would he respond, after all, if he discovered that Anders had not been courting him but treating him like some pet? He’d be humiliated, angry. He’d surely kill Anders, then perhaps go for Isabela.

  
“Of course!” Anders replied and if he seemed awkward, if his face had gone red, well, both of those things could be attributed to him being nervous. “I simply… Didn’t expect you to return my… Affection.”

  
“I see,” Fenris said. “I cannot not blame you given the way we have been but there is no need to continue to act this way. Perhaps-” Here he looked away again and Anders observed the tips of his ears turning a dull red, “Perhaps we might… Dine together? Tonight? In my home?”

  
Fenris was inviting him to his home. Anders felt himself grow lightheaded- Was this reality or was he stuck in the fade?

  
“Y-yes,” he said. “I would enjoy that.”

  
Fenris’ face gentled then as he smiled at Anders, the normally severe lines of his face softening. Maker help him, Anders could not help but think that his expression was like a cat getting a particularly good chin scratch.

  
He swallowed and then nodded before weakly replying, “Well- then I shall see you tonight.”

  
“Tonight,” Fenris returned with a nod with his head and then turned away, leaving Anders standing there, a dead deer at his feet   
Maker, but Fenris was going to do the same thing to him when he found out.

 

* * *

  
As Anders made his way to Hightown later that night he argued with himself about how it was he was going to break the news to Fenris that he hadn’t been courting him at all.

  
He had just been… Looking for a way to resolve their conflicts. To try and, perhaps, have Fenris understand some of what he thought.   
No, never had he intended to woo the elf. It didn’t have anything to do with Fenris of course. He was undeniably handsome, smart, funny even if you listened closely enough. But Anders… Anders had no intention of involving himself with another person. It simply wouldn’t be fair to them.  
Sighing he knocked on the door, thinking of the look that Fenris had given him earlier. That wide, anxious expression when he had thought that he had been mistaken.

  
Damn him- it had been both heartbreaking and adorably like that of a sad kitten.

  
Just as he was about to knock again the door swung open and Anders was greeted by Fenris, looking at him with a pleasantly surprised expression.

  
“You came,” he said, stepping to the side so that Anders could enter.

  
“Of course, did you think I wouldn’t?”

  
“I… No, but I am happy you were able to.”

  
Anders looked at his back as he followed the elfthrough the mansion. Finally, hesitating a little, he said: “I… The deer went quickly. I’m afraid I wasn’t able to save any for us. But I can- Cook if you have a kitchen?”

  
Briefly Fenris turned back to look at him, one eyebrow raised, “What?”

  
“I- Well, there was so much meat, you see, and I thought, I certainly couldn’t eat all of this by myself so I let people start taking some home and, well, by the end of the day I realized I’d given it all away, funny thing, that.”

  
He stopped, realizing that Fenris was staring at him.

  
“You… Gave away the entire deer.”

  
“Er,” Anders started, “Yes?” He watched as several expressions passed over the elf’s face before finally he settled on fond exasperation. Anders felt his heart clench, never having been on the receiving end of such a look from Fenris. It did strange things to his insides, and suddenly he wondered if perhaps his interest in Fenris wasn’t just because he sometimes reminded him of a very irritated, overly large feline.

  
No, nope, no ma’am, he quickly thought to himself. He had no actual romantic interest in the elf. None… None at all.

  
“It is a good thing that I anticipated such an event- There is more than enough food in the larder.” Fenris turned away from then, sauntering towards the kitchen, and leaving Anders to follow him.

* * *

  
That night was but the first of many evenings that Anders spent in Fenris’ home. Mostly they ate, Fenris shoving plate after plate at Anders until he could barely walk home. They played cards, talked or gossiped about their other companions and genuinely found… A friendship in each other.

  
Anders hadn’t the slightest clue what to make of it. Once he had started to look past Fenris’ spiky exterior he had discovered a person that he liked. And Fenris, apparently, had managed to do the same thing. The only problem was that Fenris was courting Anders and Anders was still entertaining half-idle thoughts about how wide and feline his eyes were or how he might get him to purr.

  
He bemoaned all of this to Isabela one night at the Hanged Man, it was her fault that he had begun to see Fenris’ cat like qualities and then gotten himself into this mess after all.

  
“…And now he- Well, you should see how he looks at me.”

  
“Oh, I do sweet thing, believe me,” Isabela replied with a chuckle. She took another sip from her mug and then pointed it in Anders’ direction. “But tell me, when are you going to seal the deal? Explore his Deep Roads? You are a Warden, after all.”

  
Anders threw up his hands in exasperation, “I told you Isabela I don’t think I even really- This is just a mess that I found myself in. I don’t actually like him that way.” And maybe it was a lie, but he couldn’t very well express his true feeling to Isabela. Because if he did then they would be real and he would have to deal with them and he couldn’t very well have that.

  
Only once he had stopped speaking did he see the look of horror on her face. For a moment he blinked, not thinking he had said anything truly terrible, until he heard the low mutter of a curse in a very family voice behind him.

  
He whipped around only to see Fenris standing there, a look of betrayal and anger on his face and, beneath all of that, hurt.


	3. Chapter 3

Anders could hear his heart beating furiously in his ear as his mind kindly reminded him about Fenris’ abilities, how could easily Fenris’ glowing fist could phasing into his chest and crushing his heart.

An apt punishment considering the hurt in the elf’s eye.

Emerald eyes hardened, and that hurt was swallowed up completely by anger.

And Anders could do nothing but stared at the imposing elf too fearful to do anything that might cause Fenris to act on his anger.

While he and Fenris had never come to blows before, even when their arguments became heated. This time was different from their arguments. Anders knew first hand what it was like to be strung around, and with Fenris’ history. It was no doubt doubly worse for him.

Why did Anders think this was a good idea again?

“Did you delight in making a fool of me, mage,” despite the elf’s calm exterior, his voice betrayed his anger, “Were you proud of having tamed a wild beast.”

Anders winced at the old insult, regretting ever calling Fenris that. Especially after spending time with the man, he knew now just how imprecise that description was.

“It must have amused you to see how easy it was to get me to wag my tail like a dog?” Fenris continued, a subtle crack in his voice as he referred to himself as dog.

It was that hitch in Fenris voice helped Anders find his voice, “No- ”

“No?” Fenris interrupted, snarling as he stepped closer to Anders. Close enough that if Fenris wished, he could rip Anders’ heart from his chest. It was clear then to Anders that the elf didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he had to say, “Ah, yes. I forgot you prefer the company of felines to mutts,” the metal of his gauntlets creaked in protest as Fenris’ fists tightened, “I suppose you wanted to scratch my ears and make me purr.”

Shame made Anders look down and away from Fenris, he couldn’t deny that thought hadn’t crossed his mind.

The silence stretched between them as Anders struggled to find the words to make things right but there was nothing. Even if this whole affair ended up somewhat improving Anders relationship with Fenris, it didn’t change the fact that he treated Fenris like cat. Like an animal and not like the man that he was.

“I should have known better,” Fenris murmured under his breath, but Anders was close enough to hear him. To hear the hurt in Fenris’ voice.

Anders wondered if Fenris learned how to crush hearts without reaching into his victim’s chest, because Anders felt as if someone was tightly squeezing his heart.

The mage looked up when he noticed Fenris’ feet move away from him. The elf stopped at the doorway but didn’t look back, “I am sorry to disappoint you, but the ritual that gave me my markings destroyed some of my nerves. I can only mutely feel the soles of my feet but I cannot feel anything on my ears,” with that said he left.

After that Anders saw little of Fenris as they both avoided each other, more Fenris than Anders. And judging by the way Aveline looked at him and how Hawke didn’t try to force them into joining on the same jobs, Anders suspected Isabela had filled them in on what had happened between him and the warrior.

The few times he did get to see Fenris was in brief encounters in the Hanged Man or the foyer of Hawke’s estate. And each time they bumped into each other, Anders became acutely aware of the painful ache in his chest.

He missed the elf’s company, his wit and dry sense of humor.

And perhaps it was his obvious misery that got Isabela subtlety trying to get him to talk to Fenris and when nothing happened after three weeks of her nudging him and even orchestrating a meeting between him and Fenris in Varric’s room. She gave up on subtlety and marched into his clinic.

“Your moping is bring everyone down. You should talk to him.”

“And what would I say?” Anders replied putting the herbs he had gathered aside and turned to face Isabela, “I am sorry I am an idiot but I really miss you, will you please give me another chance,” it was a piss poor apology.

Isabela nodded as she leaned against Anders’ desk, “Well it’s better than moping about it like a lovesick maiden.”

“I am not-”

“Are you sure? Every time we set up camp, you sit there and sigh, you even managed to burn the stew,” her arms raised to show her exasperation.

Anders sighed, he knew she would bring this up again and every time she did he denied it. He saw her looking at him expectantly and knew she wouldn’t just drop the subject, and with Justice prodding him to be honest, “I do think about him a lot, but that doesn’t mean anything. I just feel terrible about what I did, Fenris deserved to be treated better than a cat. He isn’t anything like a cat or a dog, mean he is as cute as them but he is so much more. He’s a brilliant, sweet, generous, kind, and drop dead gorgeous. Oh! And much more considerate than a cat,” as much as he adore Pounce, the cat had a habit of ruining Anders’ things whenever Anders left him alone. And not to mention, tripping wardens on the stairs.

Minutes passed before Anders stopped finally he realizing how long he had been rambling about about the elf.

Isabela grinning by his side, “So you were saying.”

Blood rushed to Anders’ cheeks and wanted to deny it again but he couldn’t not after practically talking about Fenris’ voice for more than two minutes. He lowered his gaze to hands and fidgeted with the hem of his sleeves, “Maybe I do like him, not that it matters now. I doubt he’d give me another chance, even if I get on my knees in front of him.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Isabela chuckled and patted his back, “Well, I leave you two alone.”

“What?” Anders looked up confused as to what Isabela meant. There hadn’t been anyone else in the clinic before Isabela arrived. But as soon as he looked up he understood.

Fenris appeared in the doorway as Isabela made her way out, she winked at the elf before disappearing into Darktown.

“How can I help you?” Anders asked, trying and failing to hide the deepening blush on his cheeks.

“You already have,” Fenris stepped inside and shut the door behind him, ”Isabela asked me to come down here with her,” Fenris said confirming he had heard everything, “In the Hanged Man, when I heard you telling Isabela you didn’t care for me as I cared for you. I was reminded of how Danarius treated me. Of how he’d scratch my ear and tell me what a good pet I was,” he lowered his head, the fringe of his hair hid his eyes, “I was ashamed and angry at myself… and despite everything, I still care for you,” the elf’s voice became quieter as he spoke that Anders barely heard the confession.

It filled Anders with hope that there was still a chance for them to be something, but at the same time guilt and shame gnawed at Anders. He needed to make this right. He stepped closer to the elf, “I am sorry, I’ll do anything to make this right if you let me,” Anders pleaded.

Fenris gazed contemplatively at Anders, trying to gauge if Anders was truly sincere or not.

“You can treat me like I treated you, if you want,” Anders offered.

The elf shook his head, “I would do no such thing, but I am willing to give you another chance,” his voice conveyed that it would be Anders only chance, if he messed up again. It would be over.

Anders nodded, “Thank you, I promise not to mess up this time,” with his heart feeling lighter than it had in days, Anders couldn’t help but fall back to old habits and flirted with the elf, “Maybe not now, but someday you could pet me and treat me like a cat. I’ll ask really nicely.” he said with a mischievous tone.

Fenris rolled his eyes, not at all surprised, “Perhaps, if you behave. But for now let’s go and tell Hawke of our truce,” Fenris opened the door and motioned for Anders to come with him. “I grow tired of Hawke moaning over every little injury.”

Anders laughed and followed after Fenris.


End file.
